1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a color correction monitoring system for a color printer, and more particularly to an apparatus for monitoring color corrected images displayed on a CRT before the images are printed on a photographic paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a coloring printing laboratory, color photographic prints are made from color originals by a process as follows. A number of developed color films both of positive and negative are spliced into an elongated color film web. The color film web is checked by a skilled monitor to determine the conditions of correction in color and density. The conditions of correction have recently be automatically determined by use of an automatic color film analyzing device.
The information for the correction determined by the monitor or by the automatic analyzing device is recorded on a recording medium such as a paper tape or magnetic tape. The recording medium carrying the correction information and the elongated color film web are put into an automatic printer so the color images are printed on a photographic paper in a desired color and density by controlling the printer based on the correction information read out from the recording medium.
The printed color photographs are inspected as to their color density. The prints determined to be improper are thrown away and reprinted with different printing conditions. Finally, the printed photos are grouped for customers and separately packed in envelopes.
The above-mentioned monitoring or checking process needs a high skill and, accordingly, the error in this process depends upon the skill of the monitors. Therefore, the yield of the color printing process depends highly upon the skill of the operators or monitors of the printing process. When the automatic color film analyzer is used for checking the color negative or film, the skilled monitors are not needed. On the other hand, however, the automatic color film analyzer is disadvantageous in finding out some kinds of failures in color and/or density such as color failure, back-light and light source color which are easy for a human monitor to find.
The mistake in monitoring will result in failure in printing and accordingly require the reprinting process, which is economically undesirable due to loss of paper, developer and labor. The cost up in the printing process will result in cost up in the printed photos.